The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry commented on the accusations made by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during his speech at a government meeting on August 3.
"Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's presentation of Armenia's shelling of our border guards who raised our flag on Azerbaijan's sovereign territory - on the Khakari Bridge built by Azerbaijan on 15 June - as a provocation by Azerbaijan once again demonstrates that Armenia justifies its provocations," the statement reads.
The ministry rejected the allegations about Azerbaijan's closure of the Lachin road as unfounded. The minstry recalled that the activity of the Lachin border crossing point is regulated by Baku and is of great importance for controlling entry and exit on the Lachin road, which Armenia has continued to abuse for illegal activities on the territory of our country for the past three years.
"The fact that the UN International Court of Justice in its decision of 6 July unanimously rejected the appeal against the liquidation of this checkpoint once again proved the groundlessness of the Armenian side's claims," the statement reads.
The ministry stressed that the ongoing territorial claims against Azerbaijan and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's assertion that the Alma-Ata Declaration of 1991 defines the borders between Azerbaijan and Armenia and that it was adopted as the basis for delimitation were both confirmed at the Prague meeting on October 6, 2022 show that Armenia is not devoted to the process of delimitation.
"The Armenian side must keep in mind that international humanitarian law does not contain any constraints that would preclude the implementation of appropriate actions against war criminals in the case of the arrest of Vagif Khachatryan, who committed a crime against humanity.This person was taken into custody in accordance with Azerbaijani law and international law," the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said.
The ministry said that Yerevan should support efforts to hold those who committed crimes against peaceful Azerbaijanis criminally accountable.
Baku urged Armenia to refrain from such provocative steps and support the use of the Aghdam-Khankendi road and other alternative roads proposed by Azerbaijan. It was also noted that the Armenian side should not hinder Azerbaijan's efforts to reintegrate the residents of Armenia.
